Stammering can be controlled at its initial pickup, let's see how...

Living in a world, where communication while being in contact is necessary and as well as being a symbol of expression, so it matters a lot about what we say and even some people notice the way we speak, our tone, sometimes volume too.

Often, in events like interviews or at the time of giving speech or lectures, in fact for the first time doers, it could be obvious that because of any kind of nervousness or fear of delivering their best, people once stammer or forget to say words or could possibly skip two-three words again. It’s Okay!

It’s perfectly been understood if it’s the first time, as it happened to me also. But since their childhood, whether it’s a male or female stammers, it becomes a bit unusual for the people who are listening to them or want to communicate with them. If I am talking about kids, if they stammer, it’s common for kids up to 2-3 years but beyond 3 years of age or 5 years of age, it’s not common, this goes to that condition of even like forgetting or not speaking words at times when it’s actually needed.

IS STAMMERING DONE INTENTIONALLY?

I personally noticed around when people stammer, they a kind of become conscious when they see crowd or group of people who try to hear his/her stammering voice closely. So often, the people who stammer say things and communicate their words and do the entire conversation in such a way that people can’t easily make out that they could even have the problem of stammering. At some time or at some place, speaking words becomes somewhat important, and better if a person who stammers should avoid it. It’s not at all like, if a person stammers, he/she wouldn’t say clear words or would face difficulty in completing the whole sentence, but in fact, they would speak correctly indeed fluently, but at another moment, they could even struggle to speak.

POSSIBLE CAUSES/INITIAL SIGNS OF SOMEONE WHO STAMMERS

The question arises here that from where it all begins actually? When someone starts to stammer or stutter, we usually think it starts at the moment, but in a number of cases it comes out to be a person’s neurological condition and it is how, it can make a difference in the functioning of a person’s brain, if being compared with the brain of a person who stammers/stutters.

Genetic Factors :

Stammering often can come along in genetic factors of a person. While stuttering is being involved in genes, a child may stammer/stutter, if any close person or a family member has this kind of speech disorder, so it is likely possible that it could continue in further generations.

Neurogenitical Conditions :

Another root cause, stated by speech therapists is about Neurogenitical conditions which give rise to behaviors of stammering/stuttering. This causes dysfunctional signals between brain and speech directed nerves which could be basically caused by any brain injury or any stroke, causes may become intense around dementia and Parkinson’s.

Psychological Levels :

Stammering or stuttering can also be initiated at psychological levels. When fear, embarrassment, anxiety and all of the above cause ‘stress’ can make a person stammer, in another sense, these are not actually the root causes. Actually, they can make a person disapprove or denounce from his/her own speech problem which can even make the arising indications worse.

BEHAVIORS SPECIFIC TO STAMMERING

There are some behaviors which are specific to stammering/stuttering which could be paid attention to and even noticed :

Extended sound pronouncing one word.

When at the moment, no sound comes out of the mouth, as if the sound is being blocked.

Fine lines can be noticed around eyes, nose, and

One could possibly tap fingers.

Overemphasizing on the breath before speaking something or while speaking.

WHAT BEHAVIORS SHOULD BE AVOIDED IN FRONT OF A STAMMERER?

If anyone is feeling hesitated or trying to repeat certain things and words or often saying ‘eer’ or ‘um’ in between always doesn’t mean that they particularly are having the problem of stammering.

This becomes very important that the listener to whom a stammerer is trying to communicate should provide time and space to speak without any interruption.

Let them relax and then speak because for them it’s already an awkward situation to speak and communicate with others. It’s better not to tell them to hurry up or saying words in between while they’re speaking like ‘take a deep breath’.

TALKING TO A THERAPIST BECOMES ESSENTIAL

In many cases, a Speech Therapist or a Speech Pathologist helps a stammerer to determine his/her behaviors and till what extent, stammering or stuttering could impact him/her on the basis of their daily activities and could help improve how to speak and related speech skills.

ESSENTIAL TIPS TO BE CONSIDERED

Some of the tips include for people living with a stammerer (children) :

Try to be calm and maintain calm environment around, it would provide time to the children to feel free to speak and express.

Always try to slow down while communicating with the child and watch out that he/she doesn’t force the words to get out.

Every day make time for the child for a one-on-one conversation.

Techniques that work best for children who stammer:

Airflow Technique

It is regarded as the regular flow of breathing which helps a child to say or speak words with utmost fluency keeping the muscles related to speech more relaxed.

Delayed Auditory Feedback

This technique would help to play the voice back just after a fraction of second after saying something.

Techniques that work best for Adults who stammers:

Generally, boys have the tendency to stammer more than girls. But after coming into adulthood, stammering/stuttering to an extent can be minimized.

Avoidance Reduction Therapy

Under this technique, a stammerer has been made to acknowledge the lines or the words on which they stop and stutter, a generous effort is made not to avoid them, which includes “Voluntary Stuttering”.

Personal Construct Therapy

In this technique, the speech therapist along with a client who stammers, sits and discusses over how stuttering or related issues has been affecting the personal life of a stammerer and efforts are being put to eradicate the same.

Tapping Technique

This technique is much easier and handy as whenever a person stops on or before saying a word, could tap the fingers on the knees to slow down the rate of stammering.

THERE’S ALWAYS SOME OR OTHER WAY!

Another helpful option is when one can get help from the community or support groups combining of stammerers. As this will help them to feel free and they would open up in that non-judgemental environment.

Shaima Khan is an MBA Post Grad, who is by nature a curious knowledge seeker, an avid reader, and an amateur writer on the learning path, who writes simply for her inner joy and is more keen towards gathering every interesting part of knowledge.
And because of her ever increasing craze for research and social development, led her to be -
Founder of "Artizone" (Information makes life simple)
Explore more on www.artizone.in

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